Time for Autism

02/04/2026

❤️ Today is World Autism Acceptance Day ❤️

This is a great moment to celebrate the Time for Autism programme at Brighton and Sussex Medical School which prepares our future doctors to work effectively and compassionately with autistic people and their families with the help and expertise of autistic people themselves.

🌟 Over 900 students have completed the programme so far 🌟

If you'd like to find out more about the programme, please have a look at our website.

🙂 Can you help? We are currently looking for families with autistic children and young people up to about 18 years of age (and still living at home) who would like to help medical students learn about autism. A pair of medical students would visit you at home three times over one academic year to get to know you and hear your experiences. If you live within about an hour of Brighton and would like to find out more, please contact Alison Smith at [email protected] 🙂

18/07/2025

🌟Do you live in Brighton, Hove, Worthing, Shoreham, Lewes, Hayward's Heath, Burgess Hill, Hassocks or surrounding areas, and have a child or young person with an autism diagnosis?? 🌟

We are looking for families in these areas to join the Time for Autism programme starting its fifth year at Brighton and Sussex Medical School in September.

Our medical students learn about autism by visiting families and talking with them about their experiences of healthcare, education and everyday life.

Have a look at the information below 👇👇 and email us to find out more!

[email protected]
bsms.ac.uk/time-for-autism

😍 Some recent feedback from families taking part:
“I want to commend TFA for the amazing and profound programme it is. This is our third year (and many more to follow hopefully) as a TFA family and the weight this programme carries never seizes to amaze us.”
"I really do believe in the goals and aims of the programme and feel honoured to be a small part of it."

😍 Students say:
“It is amazing to have training in aspects of medicine that are often overlooked. To be able to communicate effectively as a doctor is extremely important. This experience taught us that communication styles should be personalised, and autism can present very differently in everyone. Spending time with our family helped break down stereotypes and challenged our assumptions. It reminded us that empathy, patience, and genuine curiosity are just as vital as clinical knowledge. We now feel more confident and better prepared to care for neurodivergent patients in the future. This experience has definitely been a highlight of medical school!”

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
Brighton and Sussex Medical School

Reaching Families

Time for Autism is a ground-breaking education programme that aims to transform healthcare for autistic people and medical students at BSMS.

13/06/2025

🌟Come and join us! 🌟

Could you and your family spare a few hours to help our medical students learn about autism?

We are looking for some new families, who live within about an hour of Brighton and Hove, to join the Time for Autism programme starting its fifth year in September. Have a look at the information below 👇👇 and email us to find out more!

😍 Some recent feedback from families taking part:

“I want to commend TFA for the amazing and profound programme it is. This is our third year (and many more to follow hopefully) as a TFA family and the weight this programme carries never seizes to amaze us.”

"I really do believe in the goals and aims of the programme and feel honoured to be a small part of it."

😍 Students say:

“It is amazing to have training in aspects of medicine that are often overlooked. To be able to communicate effectively as a doctor is extremely important. This experience taught us that communication styles should be personalised, and autism can present very differently in everyone. Spending time with our family helped break down stereotypes and challenged our assumptions. It reminded us that empathy, patience, and genuine curiosity are just as vital as clinical knowledge. We now feel more confident and better prepared to care for neurodivergent patients in the future. This experience has definitely been a highlight of medical school!”

27/03/2025

🎉😍 We just recruited our 200th family into the Time for Autism programme!! 😍🎉

We are immensely grateful to all our participating families for their phenomenal contribution to educating our future doctors about autism.

We have spaces for next academic year (starting in September) so please get in touch if you would like to know more about taking part. Info 👇👇

25/10/2024

The wonderful Autism Support Crawley have a fantastic guest speaker event coming up 👇

In Person Booking Link : https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/891583549397?aff=oddtdtcreator
Online Booking Link : https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1023452402687?aff=oddtdtcreator

26/06/2024

Recruitment closes on Friday for this great opportunity for families with autistic children (preferably with a recent diagnosis) to try the new Hibi app 👇👇 👇 Please share 😍

Additional contact details: [email protected]

18/06/2024

💥 Could you help us teach our future doctors about autism?💥

600 medical students and 180 local families with autistic children and young people have taken part so far 😍

We are looking for 15 new families to take part in the Time for Autism programme from September. If you think your family might be able to help, or you'd like to find out more, please get in touch at [email protected] 👇👇

29/04/2024

Sharing a call for signatures for a petition about a service that is so important to our families - deadline very soon. Thank you😍 👇

Children and Young People and their Parents and Carers urgently need this provision to be in place and accessible to all before the summer holidays start at the end of July 2024 so that children and young people can engage in meaningful activities when they are not at school or college, so that pare...

08/04/2024

😍 Thanks from our team to all our TfA families, student reps, lived experience advisors and other supporters for another great year of raising autism awareness and acceptance for our future doctors.
👉Information about how you can get involved for our next cohort of students starting in September is coming soon!

Brighton and Sussex Medical School

02/04/2024

Time for Autism is a ground-breaking education programme that aims to transform healthcare for autistic people by increasing the knowledge and understanding of medical students who learn from people with lived experience. Watch our film to find out more. https://youtu.be/5nfqcbZs86U?si=1rO0z6px2DTuNhRU

Find out more about the groundbreaking Time for Autism programme at BSMS in this film (short version).

22/02/2024

Our colleagues at Time for Dementia at Brighton and Sussex Medical School are celebrating their 10 year anniversary 😀. Join them at this special webinar commemorating a decade of dedication to dementia awareness, education and support 💠💙